1. Field of Invention
This invention is a reaction cell for synthesizing hydrocarbons. Hydrogen gas wrung from water and carbon catalytically react in a cyclic flow in which liquid products are isolated from gaseous products. The reaction cell uses solar energy as one source of process heat.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hydrocarbons of various forms are used throughout the world to produce heat and work. Most hydrocarbon-fueled processes use atmospheric oxygen and exhaust reaction products into the air. Liquid hydrocarbon fuel is used extensively in transportation. Work is produced in the form of turning torque derived from the reaction of the fuel with air. Most liquid hydrocarbon fuel is refined from crude oil that is extracted from subterranean deposits. Extraction of oil deposits is becoming increasingly expensive. Transportation uses over half the oil deliveries. Other sources of liquid hydrocarbon fuels are commercial crops and naturally occurring grasses.
Great strides, including increased efficiencies, have been made in reducing pollution. Burning any hydrocarbon fuel in air produces carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Governments are beginning to treat manmade carbon-dioxide gas emissions as a climate-changing environmental concern, and social pressure to switch from present-day hydrocarbon fuels is growing. Solar, geothermal, wind and wave energy are non-polluting energy sources.
Fuel cells are an alternate means of producing work. Fuel cells rely on hydrogen gas as a fuel. Hydrogen gas is expensive to produce and pressurize. Most production of hydrogen gas involves the consumption of fossil fuels. Additional energy sources for hydrogen gas production are nuclear and solar. Nuclear energy produces nuclear waste. Solar uses photovoltaics for the electrolysis of water. The cost of photovoltaic panels is expensive, as the electron band gap is small and the resulting surface area is large. Hydrogen gas can be produced by thermally cracking the water molecule, but the gas must be separated and compressed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,893 B2i describes a process for sustaining disassociation by filtering hydrogen and oxygen from steam through electron-conducting solid membranes. Research has been done to make membranes that are highly permeable, thin, but strong and more cost effective. U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,744 B2ii describes a composite hydrogen transport membrane yielding H2 permeation at 320° C. of 11 to 12 milliliters (STP) per minute per square centimeter, sustained over hours.